Details have been announced for the 2016 Skye Gathering and Silver Chanter competitions. Convenor Cailean MacLean has intimated the following: ‘Silver Chanter 3rd August 2016: The invitees to this year are: Callum Beaumont , Angus MacColl, Iain Speirs, Stuart Liddell, Roderick MacLeod and Cameron Drummond. It is the 50th SC competition and Iain MacFadyen, who has attended all of them, will adjudicate. ‘Skye Gathering 2nd/3rd August 2016: We have made…
The above picture is of three doughty Scots Guards pipers (l to r) P/Sgt Jimmy Banks, Iain Wood and P/M Angus MacDonald. It looks as though the picture was taken in the early 1970; venue unknown. Jimmy and Angus are well known to everyone in the piping world but I would be grateful for more on Iain Wood who I’m afraid I don’t know. Reminder: entries for the Highlands &…
Most readers will be aware of the winners of the World Pipe Band Championship over the years. Indeed many of you will be able to reel off the names of those bands who’ve made it to the number one position and maybe even the year(s) in which they did it. However how many can remember all the great bands who ‘only’ got second? Not a lot we think. Yet the…
To the Uist & Barra contest tomorrow for the annual professional competition. I hear that the tuning times have been restricted to four minutes in the piobaireachd, three in the MSR and one (if needed) for the H&J. Tuning lights will be in force to ensure these times are stuck to but by my calculation we will still have to endure a collective two hours of tuning time during the…
The following guide to selecting a bagpipe first appeared in Piper Press in the 1990s. It came from the renowned pipemaker Jimmy Pettigrew who for many years was the leading bagpipemaker for RG Hardie & Co……. Bagpipe making today is not as skilled as it once was. There is not enough good training these days. No one seems to do a full apprenticeship. When I started everything was done by…
Recent Comments